Author Archives: Richard Jeffrey Newman

Reading The Veil and The Male Elite: A Feminist Interpretation of Women’s Rights in Islam, by Fatima Mernissi

Posted on January 24, 2015 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

On and off over the past year or so, I have gotten into some pretty heated discussions here about Islam. In August of 2014, I wrote a two-part post called “Trying to Be an Ally: Thinking About Hejab, Muslim Invisibility, … Continue reading →

Posted in Islam, Islamaphobia | 61 Comments

The Politics of Being a Man Who Survived Childhood Sexual Violence

Posted on January 17, 2015 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

As I said in the blog post I wrote about the artist’s grant I received this year from the Queens Council on the Arts, I plan to use the blogging I do, as well as my newsletter (click to sign … Continue reading →

Posted in Men and masculinity, Rape, intimate violence, & related issues | 4 Comments

Here’s to a New Beginning and a Renewed Purpose

Posted on January 4, 2015 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

As I have hinted at in some of the posts I’ve written over the past couple of years, my professional life has been difficult, not because of anything having to do with my job per se, but because the college … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism, sexism, etc, Men and masculinity, Rape, intimate violence, & related issues, Writing | 6 Comments

Running a Literary Reading Series and the Politics of Inclusion

Posted on December 20, 2014 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

This post has a very specific purpose: to ask those who might be interested to offer feedback on the draft vision statement that appears at the end. The statement is for a small literary reading series called First Tuesdays that I … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | 17 Comments

Just One Complaint While I am Doing End-of-Semester Grading

Posted on December 18, 2014 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

So I’m sitting in my office earlier today, waiting for students to hand in their final assignments, which for some include assignments on which I gave them extensions. One student, who has done barely a stitch of work all semester, … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | 16 Comments

A Conversation with Sahar Amer, Author of ‘What is Veiling?’ « Transcultural Islam Research Network

Posted on October 14, 2014 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

On the Transcultural Islam Research Network, an interview with Sahar Amer, whose book, What Is Veiling?, was published by The University of North Carolina Press in September of this year. I found this passage particularly interesting: CR: Throughout your extensive research on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Islam | 41 Comments

Reza Aslan Makes a Lot of Sense Defending Islam. The CNN Anchors Sound Like Islamaphobic Bigots.

Posted on October 6, 2014 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

Author’s note: I’ve edited the title of this post to reflect more accurately the point I wanted to make. Reza Aslan is responding here to this rant by Bill Maher: It’s important to point out that Maher is right: Muslims who engage in … Continue reading →

Posted in Religion | 53 Comments

What Do You Do When Your Student Tells You Her Father Threatened Her Life? 2

Posted on September 19, 2014 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

In my last post, I told you about a former student who came to my office distraught because her father had threatened her life. It’s now more than two weeks since I walked her over to the counseling center on … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism, sexism, etc, Iran, Rape, intimate violence, & related issues | 76 Comments

What do you do when your student tells you her father threatened her life?

Posted on September 12, 2014 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

Well, if you’re a K–12 teacher and you believe the student is at all credible (or maybe her credibility doesn’t matter), you have very specific reporting requirements, and there are protocols for that reporting that you have to follow, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran, Rape, intimate violence, & related issues, Writing | 1 Comment

Workplace Politics: Is the Risk Worth the Danger?

Posted on September 2, 2014 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

In “Story 16” in “Padeshahan,” or “Kings,” the first chapter of Sa’di’s Golestan—the stories are simply numbered; they are not given titles—the protagonist is having a hard time earning enough money to support his family. He has become so poor, … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran, Writing | 11 Comments